Red light running led to 676 fatalities and an estimated 113,000 injuries nationally in 2009 (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). In Minnesota in 2011, 23 people were killed and 7668 were injured at controlled device intersections.

Intersection crashes account for more than 45 percent of all reported crashes and 21 percent of fatalities. In 2003, 9,213 Americans died as a result of intersection-related crashes – a rate of more than one an hour. (National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System (NASS-GES), Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS))

A Columbus, Ohio study found that the number of people running red lights at the city’s first two intersections with cameras dropped from 1,684 violators in March 2006 to 477 in August of 2006, a 71 percent decrease. (Ohio Post Dispatch, September 25, 2006)

Traffic crashes are the single most significant cause of preventable death and injury. Nearly two-thirds of those killed in intersection crashes are not in the red light-running vehicle; they are the innocent person who thought they were safe proceeding on the green light, riding a bicycle, or crossing the road in the cross walk.
It has been said that when cameras are used the yellow light duration is shortened to encourage more tickets. Minnesota Department of Transportation controls the light durations and will not change nor shortened yellow light times. Minnesota law follows the permissive yellow light guideline. A Violation occurs if a driver enters the intersection after onset of a red light and that is when a ticket should be given.
Remember, no one nor no entity is violating your privacy if you do not violate the law. This is a safety issue and not a financial issue
MSD supports the Red Light Camera legislation not because it wants more cameras watching everything that we do but because people are being killed and severely injured due to many drivers who are in a big hurry and violate the law by rushing through intersections even against the red light.
MSD has a saying on its website that says “Don’t let the two minutes you save on the road be the last two minutes of someone’s life.” This is so fitting for this issue. Is running through a red light worth your life or my loved one’s just to get to your destination a few minutes faster? People obey the law for two main reasons, either they obey because it is the right thing to do or they believe they will be caught if they don’t. Cameras will make a big difference for the latter. Preventing the crash is so much more important than the ticket after the fact. Knowing the camera or a police officer is at the intersection will curb most violations and SAVE LIVES.